


Invasive Qualities

by MLauren



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Crimson Flower, Dorothea trolls Edelgard HARD, Fluff, Friendship, Let's chat about FEELINGS
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-17
Updated: 2019-10-17
Packaged: 2020-12-21 08:00:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21071567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MLauren/pseuds/MLauren
Summary: Upon realizing someone is missing from their celebration, Dorothea goes on a hunt. There is only one member of the Black Eagle Strike Force who is equipped to deal with a stubborn emperor. | A One-Shot, centering Dorothea and Edelgard's friendship. | Post-White Clouds, and on the subject of 'Edeleth' |





	Invasive Qualities

* * *

**Invasive Qualities**

**-**

**-M.Lauren**

* * *

_"Madam Emperor, I would like to speak with you. If you have a moment?"_

Fear spiked through Edelgard's heart upon hearing Dorothea in the doorway. It was not the former-classmate who had her uneasy; it was the invasive conversations she typically carried with her. Dorothea had an unprecedented talent for stirring gossip between allies. In fact, she excelled in the art of scandal, as well as she did in reason. For as talented she was a mage, manipulation became a close second.

"Of course, Dorothea. Be my guest. If you could, first close the door behind you."

Edelgard had turned back to her desk, missing Dorothea's growing smirk. Having closed the door, she approached the center of the room with her arms crossed. Her low gaze was skeptical. The lines in her forehead told tale of serious contemplation. She waited for a single minute, perhaps two, until Edelgard finished her notes and stood from her chair.

"How may I help you?" She asked cordially.

Dorothea cursed the emperor's hard-to-read expressions. Not a blush, nor faint smile had yet to grace her cheeks. Edelgard should be ecstatic. She should be floating down the hallways in euphoria. However, here she was_... in-hiding, in her bedroom..._

"I saw you slip away from our celebration. I thought you might be in need of a friend?"

Her lavender eyes were quickly displaced. "There is no need for worrying, Dorothea. I simply have much to prepare, prior to our siege of Myrddin. An emperor's work is never ending, I'm afraid."

Dorothea hummed. "I had a feeling that would be your excuse."

"Please," Edelgard sighed, dragging a gloved-hand through her hair. "-do not speak in riddles. It is tiresome. If you have something to say, I wish you would just get on with it."

Careful to shield her satisfaction from sight, Dorothea kept her back to Edelgard. She crossed to the far window and tapped idly at the glass with her well-manicured finger.

"How wonderful it is that our professor has returned, is it not?" Her voice sang jadedly.

Dorothea could sense Edelgard's fumbling. She was probably there with her hands clasped, bobbing uneasily between one foot and the other. Dorothea didn't have to look at Edelgard to feel the strain her question had caused her. She had known her friend long enough to understand how to effectively get under her skin. She used her skills often.

"Yes," Edelgard simply stated. "It is quite encouraging to have the odds swaying back in the Strike Force's favor; if I may speak tactfully."

"Is that all?" Dorothea turned. "Is that the only benefit you see in the professor's return?"

Frowning, Edelgard's hands flexed at her side. "I-"

"You are not fooling me, Edie." She smiled and shook her head. "You spent five long years walking the halls of this monastery, looking deflated and broken. I watched you send out search-party after search-party. I saw as you snuck out at night. I followed you, remember? I know where you went, waiting beside the rumble for our teacher to emerge. Yet, now she has, and here you are; in hiding..."

Edelgard released a breathy snort. "Your point, Dorothea?" Her statement was not spoken with so much bitterness, as it was laced in drought.

"Is it not obvious?" She sassed. "I am wondering, why? Why are you up here on your own while the rest of us our in the dining hall celebrating Byleth's return?"

With a roll of her eyes, Edelgard turned from her. "If I am not mistaken, I already answered that question." She dragged her feet in long strides towards her vanity.

Edelgard began to remove the many ivory pins from her hair, ignoring Dorothea as she stood at her back. She fought the eyes watching her through the mirror, and fixed her attention on the task at hand. The process was routine. Edelgard spent an hour every morning setting her hair straight. And at night, she took the same length of time; combing out each and every strand. It was tedious, but routine all the same.

Closed-off to her surroundings, Edelgard never saw Dorothea move. Suddenly, there were soft fingers at her neck, coaxing Edelgard's hands aside.

Her first instinct was to fight it. She should insist Dorothea quit treating her like a child, and demand her to leave at once. However, Edelgard had a second thought. No one had offered to assist with her hair since childhood. Feeling the delicate fingers pulling pins from each strand was oddly comforting. It was reminiscent of her older sisters, or perhaps mother, doing the same. She only wished she could remember whom...

Allowing the sensation to take over, Edelgard's hands surrendered at her waist. She straightened her head, and bowed into Dorothea's gentle touch.

"There's a good girl." She teased. "Even as emperor, not everything must be done on your own, you know? Let Dorothea help you."

She fought the urge to groan. "I am still inclined to ask you to leave..." Edelgard deadpanned.

"If you would like help untangling these knots, you will refrain."

Dorothea listened to her quietly laugh in reply. She was surprised to feel Edelgard relaxing under her hands. Kicking the chair out from under the vanity, Dorothea motioned for Edelgard to sit. Once seated, she continued working on the pins, humming to herself as she went.

Edelgard's hair felt like silk. Each strand rolled softly between her fingers. The fine ends were perfectly cut and maintained. Each knot pulled free with little effort; a tale-tell sign of meticulous care.

"So..." Dorothea prodded after a long while. "Now that I have you detained, care to explain why you left our celebration?"

Edelgard shot a swift glare through the mirror.

"I-" Her angered words were silenced as soft bristles began combing through her hair. Edelgard's jaw snapped shut.

Giggling, Dorothea watched her lavender eyes drift close. What a feat it was to have the mighty Edelgard surrendering to her ploys. Who alive, could say they'd achieved the same?

Dorothea forced a smirk into hiding when Edelgard's eyes reappeared. Something painful lingered on the surface of her complexion. She was fighting it. Dorothea could tell, though she knew her harping was not the cause. Something told her that pain came to light, in the wake of their professor's return.

And, by goddess, Dorothea was determined to find out why.

"You and the professor had grown quite close before she disappeared."

Edelgard arched further into the brush. "You need to learn to leave well-enough alone."

"Can't help it." Dorothea shrugged. "I am determined. You can mark me for execution later, but for now; out with it, Edie! Your worries will do you no good stirring a mess in that pretty head of yours."

Smirking at her through the mirror, Edelgard sighed. "What you call determination, I name stubbornness; vile and inappropriate, _stubbornness_."

Dorothea lowered her eyes. The brush stilled in her hand. She dangled it mid-air, teasing Edelgard before she would continue.

"Okay," She finally breathed. Edelgard felt the brush return to the nape of her head.

"Okay, what?" Dorothea's brow curled, and she ran the bristles through Edelgard's hair, but only once.

"You are right. I am avoiding the professor."

Dorothea's eyes fell away. Her face remained passive, however, she began to brush once more. "I don't need to be right, I just wanted to know why."

She stayed silent for a moment, watching Dorothea as she flawlessly combed through the blonde locks. Each strand was pulled away from her face. Her hair fell at her back, and Dorothea's attention turned to the fine ends. Only after each section was perfectly knot-free and shining, did Dorothea place the brush back on the vanity.

She smiled upon seeing Edelgard's look of disappointment. Dorothea winked, and her hands returned to Edie's hair.

Very slowly, she began to braid.

"I have always known that the relationship I had with the professor, was not one which could be considered 'ordinary'." Edelgard reasoned her teeth against her bottom lip. "I suppose, if I am to be honest, my feelings for her had fallen under the more, romantic category... Though, we had a genuine friendship as well."

"Oh?" Dorothea hummed, careful not to display too much interest.

"My heart broke when she disappeared." Edelgard whispered. "I don't know how to describe it. It was as if my world stopped turning the minute we lost her."

With her hands clasped around the braid, Dorothea lowered her lips to Edelgard's ear. "If your world has started turning again, then why are you up here with me?"

She felt Dorothea's eyes through the glass, and very cautiously, turned to meet them. "Because it hasn't."

Dorothea pulled back to Edelgard's hair, emitting a soft, non-committal purr. "I see. And you believed that when, and if, the professor returned, so would your semblance of normal?"

She offered her a short nod before her gaze fell away. "It is silly, really..."

"No, it's not." Dorothea shrugged. "You spent five years, feeling her loss. It is impossible to expect yourself to be as you once were in a single day; in mere hours, truthfully."

Her nose scrunched and her lips pursed together. "I suppose that is true..."

"-but it is more than that, no? You said your heart had broken, and an injury like that is not so easily mended."

Edelgard's eyes enlarged. She hadn't considered that.

"You are upset because, though the professor is alive and well, the hurt has remained."

Nodding, Edelgard frowned. "It doesn't make any sense. I am happy she is here, but-"

"-you are realizing you can't continue on like this without confronting those other feelings." She tied off Edelgard's braid with a ribbon and laid it across her shoulder. "It is because you love her."

Stiffening, Edelgard's jaw dropped. She slowly turned in her seat. Dorothea took a tentative step back, wondering if, perhaps, she had gone too far.

"L-love her?" Edelgard stammered. "How could you-"

"Come on, you know you do..." Dorothea teased.

"And so what if I do?" Her arms crossed over her chest and she glared. "That is all the more a reason to be thrilled Byleth has returned."

"Yes..." Dorothea sang slowly. "However, now you are forced to admit to yourself the fear of, once again, having someone in your life that you don't want to lose."

"I-" Edelgard's words cut off in her throat. Her jaw wavered and her head turned uneasily to each side. "I suppose, I had not considered that." She surprised Dorothea by laughing. "I do say, you are quite skilled in this invasive quality of yours."

Giggling, Dorothea gave a playful curtsey. "Why, thank you, your majesty. I shall be here all night."

Edelgard rolled her eyes and stood. Admiring herself in the mirror, she ran a tentative hand over the long braid. A small smile brought to her lips.

"So... what do you suggest I do?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"That-" Dorothea's hands clapped onto her shoulders. "-my dear friend, is entirely up to you. Though, if it were me in this position, I would begin by speaking to her. You may feel better after you have cleared the air a bit."

Her lips landed against Edelgard's cheek before she swiftly pulled away.

"Now, I do believe you have had quite enough time to sulk. Join me in the dining hall?" Dorothea winked and offered out the crook of her arm.

"I shall," Edelgard stepped in at her friend's side, latching on at their elbows. "However, before we go. I have to ask that you please keep this conversation between you and I."

With a free hand, Dorothea saluted her. "Mage's honor." She promised.

Edelgard, once again, was forced to roll her eyes. She allowed herself to be tugged from the room, feeling a new sense of pride in her alliances.

"Thank you, Dorothea." She squeezed her hand against Dorothea's wrist. "I appreciate you taking the time to assist me while I sorted out my emotions."

She shrugged, bringing Edelgard further into her arms. "Think nothing of it, Edie; nothing at all..."

* * *

_-M._

**Author's Note:**

> Technically, this could be a prequel to my one-shot, 'Ways Have Changed'.


End file.
